Sydney's Peter Jacobs triumphs in Hawaii ironman

NaN:aN

FORMER landscaper Peter Jacobs has extended Australia's reign at the ironman world triathlon championships as a great champion fell foul of the brutal race through the lava fields of the Big Island of Hawaii today.

Australians have now won the last six Hawaii ironman triathlon world titles with Jacobs breaking through for his maiden crown today.

"I am so honoured to be the sixth Australian to win this race. So honoured,'' Jacobs said. "I love this sport. I love my wife, I love the world.

"It was a hard day but a good day and it didn't as much as last year,'' Jacobs said.

"I'm just so happy.''

Former Hawaii ironman world champion Chris McCormack was a shock retiree from the 3.8km swim, 180km cycle and 42.2km run race, forced onto the sidelines late in the bike leg of the annual event on the Big Island.

Considered a major contender for the overall win this year, McCormack was around two minutes off the pace in the opening 3.8km swim and retired from the race he has won twice previously late in the cycle after an untimely puncture.

But it was Jacobs, from Sydney's Northern Beaches, who lived up to pre-race hype to claim victory in a race regarded as one of the toughest in the world.

Jacobs went one better than his second to Australian defending champion Craig Alexander a year ago in winning the race in just over eight hours.

The 31-year-old from Sydney took the lead from Belgian Marino Vanhoenacker midway through the final marathon after trailing his rival by more than eight minutes going into the final leg of the race.

It was a stunning win for a man who has been a three -time top 10 finisher in Hawaii but never the victor before today.